Howell's Martha Fonseca Sets Own Winning Pace

September 3, 1986|By Herky Cush of The Sentinel Staff

Martha Fonseca decided to strike out on her own Saturday and returned a victor in the preseason cross-country jamboree at Seminole Community College. Fonseca, who is a senior at Casselberry Lake Howell and starting her fourth season on the Silver Hawks' varsity, said she wasn't going to wait for anyone.

''I knew I went out pretty fast,'' Fonseca said. ''And at the mile mark I felt it.''

Her winning time of 12:30 is the fastest Fonseca has ever started a season. ''I slowed down a little between the mile and the mile and a half mark,'' Fonseca said. ''But I was feeling pretty good at the finish.''

Fonseca said that she must do a better job of pacing herself. ''I've got to pace myself so I don't slow down after the mile mark.''

Fonseca said she decided to go out quickly in the race when she noticed that Winter Park star Kim Bovis was absent.

''I usually key on the really fast girls like Kim,'' Fonseca said. ''When I saw she wasn't there I figured I might as well take off at the start.''

''Martha established herself early,'' Lake Howell Coach Tom Hammontree said. ''She went out and said come and get me. That's the way you have to do it.''

''Martha wants to be known as one of the top runners in the area,'' Hammontree said. ''The way she went after the race and kept the pace was one of the biggest surprises of the day.''

Fonseca says she has several goals in mind for this season. ''I want to get as close to 11 minutes or even below it if I can,'' Fonseca said. ''I want to do well at state, at least a top-five finish.''

Hammontree was delighted with the way his girls ran in the jamboree. His top group won the unofficial competition, and his second unit was sixth.

The race also marked the first competition for senior Lisa Samocki since she injured her left leg in the spring. Samocki has been the top runner for Lake Howell in each of her three previous seasons and the premier distance runner in Seminole county for the past two years. She was second to Fonseca with a time of 13:13.

''Coming off any injury is tough until that first competition,'' Hammontree said. ''Lisa did what I thought she could do.

''Of course, she wasn't satisfied,'' Hammontree said. ''But it was good that she felt no after affects. She felt some discomforts but that was to be expected.

''After the race everyone kept asking what happened to Lisa. Nothing happen to her. She did what I expected. It's a long season.''

Hammontree said he received the answers to many other questions he harbored before the meet.

''The girls ran aggressively,'' Hammontree said. ''That was one of the answers I wanted.''

''Tammy Bolt had a great race,'' Hammontree said. ''She discovered she is capable of doing well. Often times runners don't think they can do it.''

Tammy Bolt ran on the 'B' team and led the way with a time olf 14:01. That was better than two of the girls who ran on the 'A' team.

Twin sister Jenny Bolt was third for the Silver Hawks with a time of 13:15. ''Jenny was one of those who ran a really aggressive race,'' Hammontree said. Mary Fonseca, twin sister of Martha, came in at 13:43. All told eight girls ran under 15 minutes in the race.

''Coach wanted the answer to the question of us having a good sixth and seventh runner,'' Martha said. ''Well, we learned that we have more than that.''